tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91369680090525025922018-08-28T00:03:41.727-07:00Oliver GrigsbyOliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-66176921397576853102010-05-28T13:10:00.001-07:002010-05-28T13:22:06.448-07:00Boston College MagazineGosh, I've fallen off the face of the blogosphere. I will pick up the story of how I came to be a writer and continue with what little advice I have, I promise. Recently all of my spare time has been dedicated to working on a pilot to use as a writing sample to get a job on a new show. It's odd being "out of work" but having to keep the discipline of "working" every day. Suffice to say, I'm keeping busy.<br /><br />I'll also write a little something about Heroes now that it's over. To be honest, I think I'm still coming to terms with it. Having been with the show from the start and being the first show I wrote for it's of course very close to my heart. Hopefully I'll also have some news about what will happen with the comics. All I can say is I'm doing my best to keep them alive and stay involved. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything.<br /><br />And now the reason for this post. Boston College sent a writer out to interview me for a piece in their quarterly alumni magazine and <a href="http://bcm.bc.edu/issues/spring_2010/works/our-hero.html">the article</a> just appeared online. Truth be told, it feels pretty cool to be recognized. Thanks to Steve Oney who wrote the article and Tom Alleman who took the pictures. They're both awesome guys and were a pleasure to work with.Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-755976930437246312010-02-25T18:53:00.000-08:002010-02-27T14:35:17.018-08:00Getting My Start - part 3: Crossing JordanI left my story two weeks ago having just gotten the writers P.A. job at Crossing Jordan. Here's what happened while I was there.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">WRITERS' P.A.</span><br />The duties of a writers P.A. are similar to those of a Production P.A. -- copying scripts, getting lunches and coffee etc. The key difference, is that you're now looking after the needs of up to a dozen writers. It's more important than ever at this point to make yourself stand out as a dependable person. It's sometimes hard to remember this when you're doing things like picking up a breast milk pump, delivering it to a producer's wife at a hospital 40 miles away where she waits for news about her elderly dying mother, sit awkwardly in the waiting room with her practically grieving family while she creates a bottle, then take said bottle, on ice, back to L.A. for her infant child who is with the family nanny (this is a true story, though it didn't happen to me at Crossing Jordan). The lesson here is to do all of it with a smile and think "It's okay, I'll blog about it one day."<br /><br />It sounds stupid, and maybe it is, but being able to correctly order and deliver a dozen coffees can make or break you in the minds of the writers and your other bosses. If they start thinking of you as someone they can rely on, you'll start getting more responsibilities -- ones that might interest you, or maybe even be related to writing. I remember being thrilled as a writers P.A. that I got to proof read the scripts. I was only looking for typos, but it was key in my mind that I was actually headed in the direction of "writing".<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SCRIPT COORDINATOR</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><br />I must have done okay because the Script Coordinator at Crossing Jordan, Mike Daley, offered to train me how to do his job. It's not a super difficult job but there are a number of technical and procedural steps to follow. There aren't any books that I know of and every show does it slightly differently, so it's definitely one of those jobs that is only learned through an old master/apprentice type of relationship. The benefit of this for me was that I was taking on more responsibility and it also meant Mike had someone he could depend on should he ever need to take a day off. Eventually, Mike decided to take a job on another show and recommended me to the writers as the person who should take over. It was a no-brainer for them; I knew the job, and more importantly, I knew the show. Writers are typically introverted people, we don't like conflict or change, so whenever there's a smooth transition available, that's what we opt for.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span>I was now a Script Coordinator, working directly with the writers and having them depend on me. A script coordinator is responsible for handling every draft of the script before it is distributed to the cast and crew. It means making sure scene and page numbers are correct, coordinating who gets the different drafts, and a number of other things. It sounds simple, but it can quickly become complicated. Once a script is "locked" you can't change the scene or page numbers otherwise production gets confused. Once they begin prepping an episode, they'll refer to "scene 10" and everyone will know that's the one where the car explodes. If later on the writer decides to add a scene immediately before it, the car exploding scene has to remain "scene 10" so the new scene gets labeled "A10". Page numbers function in a similar but slightly different fashion. Now imagine you're moving a scene from the front to the back... and adding one... and removing another... you get the picture. Writers don't want to be bothered with this crap, that's what a script coordinator is for. Making a writer's life easier is always a good thing.<br /><br />As an added bonus if you fuck it up, 200 people are going to see it, including the Studio and Network executives. And worse, it's going to have the writer's name on the front so they're going to feel embarrassed and it's going to be your fault. Am I making this job sound fun yet? The benefit to all of this, is that every time you do it well you're building more of those valuable psychological points in the writers minds as a "dependable person".<br /><br />I did this well enough that when Tim Kring created Heroes he asked me to handle the script coordinating duties for the pilot, and then for the show once it got picked up for series.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GETTING PASSED UP</span><br />I should note that during my time as a writers' P.A. the writers assistant job became available. I was eager to have it but it was given to the other writers' P.A. who had started a few weeks before me (we had two writers PAs at Crossing Jordan, most shows have one). It made sense as he was slightly more senior but was nonetheless disappointing. I mention this for two reasons. The first is that even if you're not "more senior" you should still put yourself out there and express interest. If the writers think of you as more dependable than the "more senior" person, there's a chance they'll take you instead. That wasn't the case in this instance but it needs to be stated: There is no real hierarchy in this business.<br /><br />The second reason, is that if I had gotten that job, I might not have ended up at Heroes. This sort of thing has happened to me a few times in my career -- missing out on one job but then seeing it turn into a better opportunity down the road. In short, I guess I'm saying don't get disheartened when you get passed up, there are a lot of different paths to get where you're going. Oh, and the other writers' P.A. -- missed out on a job at Heroes, but went on to become a writer on Pushing Daisies. Like I said, lots of different paths.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NEXT WEEK ON...</span><br />Next week I'll talk about my time at Heroes and where me next opportunities came from. Keep the questions coming, either in the comments or via email and I'll answer them as best I can. If you're hungry for more information on being/becoming a writer, here are a few other resources by people far more knowledgeable than me... or is it,"far more knowledgeable than <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span>"? See what I mean. Anyway:<br /><br /><a href="http://aspiringtvwriter.blogspot.com/">Amanda the Aspiring Writer</a> - Amanda covers a ton of topics including many of the different avenues to becoming a writer other than just the assistant-route.<br /><a href="http://johnaugust.com/"><br />John August</a> - Besides being an awesome person, John is an extremely talented and experienced screenwriter (Charlie's Angels, Big Fish). He has a lot of great advice about the craft of writing.<br /><a href="http://jamesmoran.blogspot.com/"><br />The Pen is Mightier than the Spork</a> - The blog of UK writer James Moran (Doctor Who, Torchwood) is no longer active, but his "<a href="http://jamesmoran.blogspot.com/2009/03/big-writing-faq.html">Big Writing FAQ</a>" has some excellent advice for any writer on either side of the pond.<br /><br />All of the above people are also active on twitter if, like me, you're into that sort of thing.Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-58694164763136655472010-02-17T14:50:00.000-08:002010-02-17T16:11:46.734-08:00Getting My Start - part 2Thanks for the great response to my previous post, I'm glad people are getting some useful information out of it. Before I continue I need to pause and answer a couple of great questions I got from readers that relate to the previous post.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">COLLEGE</span><br />Melissa, a Junior Boston College (my alma mater), took a recent interest in film and only has enough time to get a film minor, not the full major. She wondered whether that would hurt her chances of getting a job after graduation.<br /><br />I often hear people asking whether they need a film major or whether they should go to film school after college. For the entry-level jobs I'm talking about, a film major isn't going to make or break you. It certainly won't hurt, but in no means is it a "requirement". I majored in English and minored in film and made it through the ranks okay. And I've seen plenty of people hired with no film classes or background. However, where you do benefit from taking those classes (besides learning something) is in the "skills" you can list on your resume. If you want to go into editing and are looking for a job as P.A. in post-production or an assistant at a post production house, being able to list that you're well versed in AVID and Final Cut Pro is certainly going to help. Likewise, a familiarity with <a href="http://www.screenplay.com/">Movie Magic Screenwriter</a> and <a href="http://www.finaldraft.com/">Final Draft</a> might help when you're trying to work your way into a writers office. One of things I forgot to mention about P.A. work is that you'll be doing a lot of tech support. Sure you can call the NBC support center in India or wait for a tech to drive halfway across town in traffic to help out your irate Executive Producer, but if you can fix the problem right then and there you'll look like a superstar -- and more importantly, you'll stick in his or her mind as "helpful".<br /><br />The other benefit of taking film classes (and especially going to film school) are the contacts you'll make. You never know who's going to get a break and can help you out on their way up or at the very least pass on job opportunities they hear about. Which brings me to my next question...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">STRUGGLING TO BREAK IN</span><br />Phil in Seattle (I think) asked "How does one go from working as a PA on indie projects they find on Craigslist to interviewing for a PA position on a "real" project?"<br /><br />It's an excellent question and I apologize for skipping over this. In essence it's all about the contacts you make. More than likely, there'll be a few people on an indie set who also work on industry projects. Working on an indie often gives them the chance to work slightly higher up on the position-scale -- for instance, a set P.A. or a 2nd 2nd A.D. on a Network show might take the time to work on an indie film as a 1st A.D. or some other position they wouldn't normally have the opportunity to do. These are the people that can help you out down the line. If they remember you were eager and helpful to them on set, they might recommend you to their bosses when they go back to their "day job", or let you know about other jobs they hear about. Unless you happen to end up working on a student film or some guys with a flip-cam, my bet is there will at least be a few people with some contacts in the industry.<br /><br />Another thing you can do is to call around to the production offices, even if they're not hiring most places will put your resume on file. Admittedly it's pretty rare that someone will then pull your resume out of that file -- almost all interviews come from recommendations or referrals -- but it's certainly better than <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> being in there. And if you're able to put that little bit of experience you have on there, all the better.<br /><br />Many of the production houses/networks/studios etc. offer internships or have something akin to the <a href="http://www.nbcunicareers.com/earlycareerprograms/pageprogramwest.shtml">NBC page program</a>. They're not easy to get, but don't let that deter you from trying. Put yourself in for all of them and increase your chances. Many internships are only offered to students in exchange for college credit, so if you're in college, now may be the best time to get your foot in the door.<br /><br />Finally, there's something called the UTA job list. This is what Wikipedia has to say about it: <span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"One of the things UTA is famous for is the elusive "UTA Job List". The list includes many assistant position job listings for agent/publicist/manager hopefuls. UTA will not confirm the existence of such a list, but it does indeed exist and is only available to those with connections to people within Hollywood to be able to obtain it."</span></blockquote>Makes Hollywood sound like a secret society doesn't it? I can confirm its existence as it has passed through my inbox from time-to-time. From what I remember most of the jobs required some sort of industry experience so it might not be all that useful for people trying to break in, but some odd things do appear on there so it doesn't hurt to look. As for how to get it? I'm not too sure, but I'd suggest at least starting with a google search.<br /><br /><br />In short, while it's certainly not easy to break into the industry, there are ways to do it. I know it's tough starting out and can seem daunting -- you're lonely; you don't know anyone or even anyone who knows anyone, the whole process is completely unorthodox and there are absolutely no guarantees. But don't give up. My advice is to use brute force. Keep trying and eventually you'll find a door that you can shove yourself through. There's a saying out here that no one "fails" in Hollywood, they just stop trying. I'd venture the same can be said for trying to break in.<br /><br />And before I forget to say it, "move to L.A." -- no one's going to hire you out here unless they can meet you in person and you live in the city (and have car). There are some jobs available in New York, Vancouver and other places that film productions travel to, but at the end of the day, Los Angeles is where you need to be if you're serious about it.<br /><br />Good luck and keep the questions coming! I'll resume my story soon with my time at Crossing Jordan and getting started at Heroes.Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-83204512188925817882010-02-08T23:19:00.000-08:002010-02-10T13:21:57.441-08:00Getting My StartOne of the most frequent questions I get about being a writer is how to break into the business. Unfortunately there's no sure-fire method, no "management track". All I can tell you is how I became a writer. Maybe it'll work for you, maybe it won't. I've seen others follow a similar path but keep in mind it's just one way to (maybe) get there. There are lots of other stories out there, this is just how I happened to do it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BREAKING IN</span><br />One of the hardest things is landing your first job in showbiz. People always want to hire someone with previous experience so breaking in may feel like a catch 22. I was supremely lucky in that I benefited from nepotism to get my first gig. My father is a Producer and has worked on a number of television shows. One summer (when I was about 21) I begged him for a job on the show he was about to start; NBC's <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_%28TV_series%29">Las Vegas</a>. I started out as a Production Assistant ("PA"), AKA the lowest totem pole on the entire crew. Duties included answering phones, making copies, picking up lunch orders, going on coffee runs and making deliveries around town.<br /><br />So, how do you get around the catch 22 if you can't rely on nepotism? My advice is to find some job, <span style="font-style: italic;">any job</span>, in film or television, even if it's only vaguely related. Find an independent film that is looking for PAs and paying peanuts -- and it might literally be peanuts. Sometimes all an indie production can offer is a meal. But more importantly, they provide experience. <a href="http://losangeles.craigslist.org/tfr/">Craigslist</a> can be a good place to start. Getting a few of those gigs on your resume can be a big help. I remember one person who got hired and the only experience he had was logging tapes for <span style="font-style: italic;">Survivor</span>. It doesn't matter that much what the experience was, it just matters that it was there. More than anything else it shows a dedication to the craft. It shows in spite of your college degree you're willing to put up with long, exhausting hours, crappy pay, menial tasks. It shows that you won't let them down. Because once you get that first job, nothing is more important than proving yourself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PROVING YOURSELF</span><br />This advice applies mostly to a job as PA on a TV show because that's what I know, but I'm sure a lot of it applies to similar jobs. So you've successfully landed yourself a job as a PA, now what? Be patient. And prove yourself. Nepotism hires are frequent in the industry -- for a while my nickname in the office was "political hire". But I took it as a challenge. I did the best job I could. Went above and beyond. Learned everything I could from anyone who had time to talk. In short, I proved myself. I impressed my bosses and made contacts because I didn't want to rely on my father forever. That would get me nowhere. I had to begin trading on my own name. And sure enough, the following year, after I had graduated from college and went looking for jobs I got a recommendation from the Production Manager I worked with on Las Vegas. The Production Coordinator who hired me had no idea who my father was. I had begun trading on my own name. The show was called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dreams"><span style="font-style: italic;">American Dreams</span></a> and I should mention that the Production Coordinator's name was Brenda Pulos. I mention Brenda because it's the perfect example of what a small industry it is. Brenda and I would end up working together again several years later on Heroes. This is also where I first met fellow PA, aspiring writer, and future Heroes scribe, Chris Zatta. I can't stress enough what a small industry it is and why it's so important to always be making a good impression. You never know when a good (or bad) recommendation can make or break you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE LIFE OF A P.A.</span><br />So what's it like to be a PA? Crappy. You work a 12-14 hour day, five days a week. And sometimes weekends. You likely have a college degree and yet you'll be making copies, answering phones, taking coffee orders and driving around town delivering scripts and picking up lunches. But here's the thing, if you want to keep working your way up, you really have to make a good impression. In the face of all that you're doing, it's really easy to get bogged down, think that no-one's noticing you at the bottom of the totem pole and get disheartened. But the thing about being a PA is that you have contact with everyone on the crew. That's what makes this such a great opportunity. If you want to be a writer, then get to know the writers and their assistants. Prove to them that you're not a dimwit -- and that this crappy job isn't getting you down. Because when a job opens up in their department they want to hire someone who's smart and who they'd like to work with. Someone they could stand spending 12 hours a day with. The same holds true for whatever department you're hoping to break into -- editing, on-set production, art department etc.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">INTERVIEW TIPS</span><br />A few tips on interviewing for PA positions. Be firm. Don't let any doubt creep into their mind about whether you'd be right for the job. You'll be asked if you have a car and know the city. Riding a motorcycle isn't going to cut it, you need to be able to fit approximately ten bags filled with lunches for important people, a large box of scripts and a mysterious brown envelope you've been instructed not to open. You need a car. If you've just moved to L.A., don't lie and say you know it like the back of your hand, instead point out that you have GPS and you're getting to know your way around etc. Be positive. Working long hours is NOT a problem -- tell them how in college you went to class, studied, worked a job and wrote for the newspaper. Don't mention the writing class you take on Thursday nights and is it okay if you leave early for that since you've already paid for it? It's admirable, but it's not what they're looking for. They need someone who is dedicated 24/7 to this job and won't let them down. And if you're not 100% that person, they can find someone else who is.<br /><br />I remember when I first started out. I came home completely exhausted, with barely enough time and energy to make some instant noodles and watch an hour of television. The only thing that got me through it is that I knew I was working towards a goal. It's an important thing to note because if you're not truly serious about reaching your ultimate goal, you'll wash out. Don't get a P.A. job because you think it might be fun or you're not sure what you want to do with your life. It will be fun for a few months, but it'll wear on you pretty quickly and you need that ray of light at the end of that tunnel to keep you motivated.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE PROMOTION</span><br />The first "promotion" isn't so much a promotion as it is a lateral movement. You're moving from "Production Assistant" to "Writer's P.A." -- it's doing the same menial tasks for the same minimum pay, but specifically for the writers rather than the whole crew (likewise with editing, art dept. etc.) The good news is that you've found your focus and will have more hands-on experience with the people you can learn from -- direct contact with those who are doing what you one day hope to. Hopefully you've met a couple of the writers, but more importantly you've gotten to know the Writers Assistant and the Script Coordinator -- these are the people who will likely be hiring you. They have a lot of contact with the PAs and they get to know pretty quickly who the competent ones are. This is why you've been working your ass off and proving yourself.<br /><br />In my case, I was hired from a different show but more often than not the writers office will pick someone from the production office on the show they're working on. That's why it's important to get to make a good impression. It's okay to let them know you want to be in the writer's office. Don't be pushy, just get to know them. You want to be in there mind as one of the competent ones when the time rolls around.<br /><br />I got my break when a show called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_Jordan">Crossing Jordan</a> (created by Tim Kring) was looking for a writer's PA. A friend of mine on American Dreams knew the guys that were hiring (the Script Coordinator and Writers PA) and handed on my resume. Again, this came from a good recommendation -- she wouldn't have done so if I was awful at my job. I had an interview, it went well, but I got passed up for the job. I was crushed. However, I got lucky when several months later another position opened up and they asked me to take it. Did I mention that luck is another essential part in all this?<br /><br />That was around 2005 (I think) when the show was in its 4th season. I was about 23. The Writers' P.A. position opened up because (future Heroes scribe) Joe Pokaski was taking over as Tim Kring's personal assistant. The other future Heroes scribbler in the house was Aron Coleite, Crossing Jordan's Researcher at the time, but the guy I was primarily working for was Mike Daley, the Script Coordinator. He would teach me everything he knew and give me my next big break.<br /><br />I'll pause here to a) create a little glossary and b) prevent this from becoming too long. I'll pick up next week with more promotions and when Heroes came to life. I'm sure I've probably skipped over things, please feel free to leave questions in the comments below.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">GLOSSARY</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Production Office:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Production Assistant (P.A.)</span> - Lowest rung on the ladder. Works in the Production Office doing everything and anything that is needed -- answering phones, making copies, making deliveries (primarily scripts), ordering lunch and coffee, picking up lunches and coffees, ordering supplies, keeping things organized etc. etc. etc.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Production Office Coordinator</span> - The PA's immediate supervisor. Reports to the Production Manager and Producer. Coordinates the PAs in distributing information, ordering and renting equipment, keeps the entire crew supplied, schedules meetings, and 1000 other things that I don't even know about.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Production Manager (UPM) </span>- Along with the Producer, handles department budgets, hiring of crew members, shooting and pre-production schedules and a lot more.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Writers Office:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Writers' PA </span>- Similar to a Production Assistant, but does those tasks specifically for the 10-15 people in the writers office. Lunch orders, copying scripts, assisting the Script Coordinator with proof reading and whatever else needs doing.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Personal Assistant</span> - Sometimes called an Executive Assistant, this is an assistant to a specific person who typically has "Executive Producer" in their title. ie. "Tim Kring's Assistant" -- This person is usually chained to their desk, and handles all of the calls, scheduling and personal requests of the Executive they work for.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Writers Assistant</span> - Not to be confused with "Writers PA". This person sits in the writers conference room as they break story for episodes. Their job is to take notes on everything that is said and help generate an outline as story details are worked out.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Script Coordinator </span>- Once a script is ready to be distributed, the Script Coordinator formats it, proofs it, generates title pages, cast and set lists and hands it off to be copied and distributed. They keep track of what changes with each new draft. Sometimes they will be responsible for tracking legal clearances. They also attend meetings during pre-production so they are aware of any major changes and can help remind the writer on the (rare) occasion that he or she might forget.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Researcher</span> - Typically found only on procedural shows (crime, medical, military, etc.) This person assists the writers when they have questions that might require extensive research -- How long does it take a body to be drained of all its blood? What would the rate of decay look like for a body left in the sun vs. one left in the shade for the same amount of time? etc.Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-52137887689308551172010-02-03T11:33:00.001-08:002010-02-08T23:19:37.409-08:00HiatusClearly, I'm not the best at maintaining any sort of blogging schedule. I suspect that this blog will be one of those that's updated from time-to-time. That said, I'm certainly going to try and post a little more frequently. Here's what's been going on lately:<br /><ul><li>My second episode of Heroes, "Pass/Fail" aired last month. You can <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/120181/heroes-passfail">watch it for free</a> on Hulu and if you're so inclined, can read some <a href="http://www.9thwonders.com/oliver_grigsby/2010/02/passfail---part-1-sylaire.shtml">behind-the-scenes tidbits</a> on the blog I write for the Heroes fansite 9thWonders.com</li></ul><ul><li>Heroes has wrapped filming for the season and is anxiously awaiting an announcement from NBC about whether there will be a 5th season. Unfortunately NBC is a little in flux at the moment, so it may be another month or two before we find out. I think this isn't so much an indication that Heroes' fate hangs in the balance as it is that the Network is... dealing with a lot of issues at the moment. Regardless, fingers crossed.<br /></li></ul><ul><li>Since Heroes wrapped, I have some time off. It's refreshing and I've been working on some of my own writing. I recently finished a one act play that I'm very proud of and will potentially be using as a writing sample to get more work in the future. The #1 piece of advice I can give to new writers trying to break in, is to get working on an original writing sample (play, pilot, feature) -- these days, people want to read original material not a spec script for House. That said, writing a spec script for an established show can really help you understand good structure. So I guess my advice is write both. Easy, right?<br /></li></ul>So as I said, I'm planning to use my time off to try and blog a little more. I have a number of emails with questions about writing process which I'll try to get to. The #1 question I get, is how I broke into the business and became a writer so that will be the focus of my next few posts here.<br /><br />If you have any questions about me or the writing process (or anything not specifically about Heroes), send me an <a href="http://www.olivergrigsby.com/contact.php">email</a> or post in the comments and I'll try to answer them. Heroes related questions are best posed to me on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">twitter</a> or via my <a href="http://www.9thwonders.com/oliver_grigsby/">9th Wonders blog</a> (note that while the comments section is on the fritz over there, you can post in <a href="http://boards.9thwonders.com/index.php?showtopic=71027&amp;st=0&amp;gopid=889301">this thread</a> on the message boards).Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-8315253110858344042009-09-23T20:08:00.000-07:002009-09-23T20:26:21.057-07:00Very Quick UpdateSo it's been a long long long time since I posted. That's largely due to two factors.<br /><br />1. Getting married to the love of my life. The wedding was perfect. Just how we imagined and with lots of good friends and family. My only wish is that it could have lasted longer.<br /><br />and 2. I've been writing some "webisodes" for Heroes.<br /><br />NBC is telling me to call them "tagged media" but I'm not really sure what that means. The short version is they're videos that tie into the main plot line of the show. Some of them will appear on air and some will appear on the web. The long version is available on the <a href="http://www.9thwonders.com/oliver_grigsby/2009/09/season-4-new-media-episodes.shtml">Heroes writers blog</a> I write for 9thwonders.com so hit that up for all the details.<br /><br />I'm hoping to have some slightly bigger news to share with everyone in the coming month but I just have to wait until everything becomes official.<br /><br />Until then, <a href="http://twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">follow me on twitter</a> for the latest happenings.<br /><br />One last thing, I got an unexpected mention in issue 11 of <a href="http://titanmagazines.com/heroes">Heroes Magazine</a> this month. If you found your way here from that mention then "Welcome!", please let me know about it in the comments. Also, be sure to check out <a href="http://www.9thwonders.com/oliver_grigsby/">my blog on 9th Wonders</a> for the latest Heroes news.Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-63187672078027577302009-07-21T09:34:00.000-07:002009-07-21T11:24:26.930-07:00Heroes Comic Con NewsSo there are a bunch of things I can now happily announce about Heroes presence at Comic Con this year. I'll save the best for last so keep reading, but let's start with our "booths". Yes booths, plural.<br /><br />And full disclosure, some of this is speculation/rumor/hearsay and schedules/plans etc. do change last minute so I apologize if any of this turns out to be incorrect. The reason I don't know for sure is that most of the comic-con planning is done by NBC promo department and the information gets filtered back through to us in bits and pieces. That said, I do work on Heroes so I must have some idea right? Let's hope so...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BOOTHS</span><br />I'm told that inside the convention hall will be a Heroes themed Nissan booth. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I am told that's if you're trying to get your hands on this year's Heroes Limited Edition graphic novel, that's where you'll want to go. The comic is one you've already seen, "<a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Graphic_Novel:Rebellion%2C_Part_3">Rebellion part 3: Family</a>" written by myself and art by <a href="http://jasonbadower.blogspot.com/">Jason Badower.</a> See below for details on where to find me and Jason if you want to get that or (almost) anything else signed. <del>The <a href="http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_exhib_2.php">exhibitors list</a> has "Heroes" down for booth #5312. I can't confirm for sure that's us, but it sure looks like it.</del> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">edit: Oops, that's not us. Heroes/Nissan booth will be *somewhere* on the floor.</span><br /><br />Now what is this other "booth" I speak of? I'm told that across the street from the convention center, in front of the <a href="http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&amp;source=s_q&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=hilton&amp;sll=32.706856,-117.157688&amp;sspn=0.010689,0.017917&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;radius=0.52&amp;ei=a_xlSs7vMYaqNoPEtOML&amp;cd=1&amp;cid=8691251456052229943&amp;li=lmd&amp;ll=32.708426,-117.161272&amp;spn=0.01114,0.017917&amp;t=h&amp;z=16">Hilton Gaslamp Quarter Hotel</a> (at K &amp; 4th street) will be a Heroes "tent". It's being sponsored by Sprint and I've heard rumors that they'll have some pretty awesome giveaways (possibly even a Palm Pre!) Now you may asking why "tent"? Well, if you attend our panel on Saturday I'm sure you'll find out, but I'll give you a one word hint: Carnival.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">FRIDAY - HEROES ALL ACCESS PARTY</span><br />On Friday the 24th from 3-5pm, <a href="http://www.housepetrelli.com/default.asp?Display=107">Heroes All Access</a> is hosting a meet &amp; greet and signing at the <a href="http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&amp;source=s_q&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=house+of+blues&amp;sll=32.70895,-117.156808&amp;sspn=0.010689,0.017917&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ei=-_9lSoyzNY2sMuHAgZUM&amp;cd=1&amp;cid=12502722381778156181&amp;li=lmd&amp;t=h&amp;ll=32.716713,-117.159748&amp;spn=0.011139,0.017917&amp;z=16&amp;iwloc=A">House of Blues</a> with a bunch of great Heroes people including myself, Jason Badower, <a href="http://www.davids.com/">David Lawrence XVII</a> and now I'm hearing possibly James Clark (aka <a href="http://twitter.com/jamesprops">@JamesProps</a> on twitter) amongst others. You can see the <a href="http://www.housepetrelli.com/default.asp?Display=107">full details here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SATURDAY - HEROES PANEL</span><br />By now you probably know that Heroes will be having its panel on Saturday from 3:15-4:15 in the Indigo Ballroom at the <a href="http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&amp;source=s_q&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=hilton+bayfront&amp;sll=32.708661,-117.157688&amp;sspn=0.010689,0.017917&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ei=Jv5lSu6TFpbcMIX_nIIM&amp;cd=1&amp;cid=15472649730957022875&amp;li=lmd&amp;ll=32.704851,-117.157774&amp;spn=0.01114,0.017917&amp;t=h&amp;z=16&amp;iwloc=A">Hilton Bayfront</a>. Please note that this is a *different* Hilton than the one where the tent will be setup. The Bayfront is on Harbor Drive and 8th ave, at the South-East end of the convention center (same side of the street).<br /><br />What you probably don't know is that the panel will be hosted/moderated by <a href="http://g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/">Attack of the Show</a>'s <a href="http://blairbutler.com/">Blair Butler</a>. She came into the office to view the season premiere and from what I hear is a Heroes fan and total geek in the best possible way (I love how geek and nerd are now terms of affection). Anyway, if Blair's recent <a href="https://twitter.com/theblairbutler">"comic con dark secret" tweets</a> are any indication, it should be a lot of fun.<br /><br />Oh, and did I mention one late addition to the Heroes panel? I'm told that someone named "Hayden Panettiere" WILL be at the Heroes panel on Saturday. Did you need another reason to attend?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">IN CONCLUSION</span><br />*phew* I think that's everything. For more Heroes Comic Con details, stop by <a href="http://www.heroesarg.com/main/2009/07/21/heroes-related-events-at-comic-con/">Heroes ARG</a> who are doing a good job trying to wrangle all of the information together.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.housepetrelli.com/default.asp?Display=107">Heroes All Access Party</a> is definitely the best place to catch me if you'd like to get something signed but I will be at the Heroes panel and I'll try to stop by the line outside the Hilton, provided no-one kicks me out. I'll be at other places throughout the day Friday and Saturday and if you <a href="http://twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">follow me on twitter</a>, I'll try to post my movements. If you're getting desperate (during the weekend) you can always try to message me on twitter or <a href="http://olivergrigsby.com/contact.php">shoot me an email</a>. I'll do my best to try and meet everyone who wants to meet up.Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-41863062291293955822009-07-14T09:50:00.000-07:002009-07-17T12:33:55.234-07:00Life UpdateI started this post on Monday, and didn't have time to come back to it until now (Friday), really that sums up what this post was about...<br /><br />Life continues to race by at what is a largely uncontrollable speed. I feel like I'm taking every turn way to fast, but boy is it a thrilling ride! It finally caught up to me two weeks ago though and my body knocked me on my ass with what was finally diagnosed as "something that looks like but according to your chest x-ray isn't officially pneumonia". Whatever it was it gave me a 103 degree fever, wicked cough, sore through and chest pain. <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ald2006">Abby</a> was absolutely wonderful taking care of me -- making sure I took medicine, helping keep my temperature down, making me soup etc.<br /><br />Antibiotics eventually cleared everything up but I was on my back for the better part of a week. The sad thing is that I kind of welcomed the time off. I almost never have the time to just laze about and watch crappy movies on TV. Even though my body was feeling awful I was really glad for the mental rest. It made me sort of sad that it took me getting sick to have some time off and get to spend some quality time with Abby.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >HEROES</span><br /><br />Heroes keeps me busy. The last part of the <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Rebellion">Rebellion</a> arc of the graphic novels has been written and is now in the very capable hands of <a href="http://jasonbadower.blogspot.com/">Jason Badower</a>. We were very lucky to have just two artists work on this entire arc (Jason and <a href="http://www.denniscalero.com/">Dennis Calero</a>) which I think will really pay off when you read it all together and in the print version. We're still working out the details but I'm hoping at some point to do an "epilogue" for Rebellion too. I'm really proud of what we've done with this arc and it holds a special place for me as being the first thing I have seen through as an "editor".<br /><br />On the show itself side of things we're going full speed ahead. Episodes six, seven and eight are all in various stages of being written while the rest of us are planning out the finer details of episodes nine through twelve. As *currently* scheduled (and things often change) episode twelve should be the final episode before our winter hiatus in December-January. We've got some exciting stuff planned.<br /><br />After being occupied for the first few months of the season working on features, Battlestar Galactica (and TimeCop!!) veteran <a href="http://verheiden.blogspot.com/">Mark Verheiden</a> has returned to us at Heroes. We're also lucky enough to have <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0182871/">Carlos Coto</a> join the team. Carlos worked on 24 last year and is no stranger to time travel or Sci-Fi having spent time on Journeyman and Invasion. He's been a great addition to the Heroes team.<br /><br />I continue to work on what I can currently only describe as "new media" content for Heroes. Details are still being worked out, but I'm excited about the story we're hoping to tell. I'll be sure to announce it once things are squared away.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >COMIC-CON</span><br /><br />I'm taking Abby to her very first comic con next week. We missed it last year due to a wedding and she couldn't make the year previous due to a firm event. Needless to say she's very excited. I can't wait to show her around.<br /><br />I'll be at the Heroes panel on Saturday the 25th (3:15 at the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&amp;source=s_q&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=Hilton+bayfront+near+Park+Blvd,+San+Diego,+CA+92101&amp;sll=32.723573,-117.153912&amp;sspn=0.044986,0.081711&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ei=ctFgSsfeBozoiwO8l_mHDg&amp;cd=2&amp;cid=15472649730957022875&amp;li=lmd&amp;ll=32.704797,-117.157774&amp;spn=0.011249,0.020428&amp;z=16&amp;iwloc=A">Hilton Bayfront</a>) and at some point that day I'm hoping to do a meet &amp; greet/ signing/something with fans. Jason Badower will almost certainly be with me too. Details are stilll being worked out but I'll announce them as soon as I know. The best thing to do though is <a href="http://www.twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">follow me on twitter</a> as I'll be sure to send a tweet whenever I'm stopping anywhere for any length of time.<br /><br />I'm also told there'll be a Nissan/Heroes booth somewhere on the showroom floor and that this is the place to be if you want to pick up the limited edition print comic of Rebellion part 3 "Family" written by myself and drawn by Jason Badower. I saw a copy yesterday which was pretty exciting as this is my first comic that has ever been "in print".<br /><br />The other booth I want to let you know about is #1234 which is home to Becky Dreistadt of <a href="http://www.tinykittenteeth.com/">Tiny Kitten Teeth</a> who did the incredible artwork for "<a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/7/1/">Lookouts</a>", my guest strip for <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/">Penny Arcade</a>. The PA guys are just around the corner at #1237. If you dug Lookouts, please stop by and tell Becky and "Gabe &amp; Tycho" of Penny Arcade.<br /><br />That's it for now. Looking forward to meeting those of you who can make it to San Diego.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ></span>Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-27887048817657427122009-07-08T08:59:00.001-07:002009-07-08T09:42:34.849-07:00Lookouts - ConclusionSo the <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/7/8">final page of Lookouts</a>, my guest comic for Penny Arcade, is now online. It was an absolute blast (and an honor) to write these and my hats off to <a href="http://www.tinykittenteeth.com/" target="_blank">Becky Dreistadt</a> who did an amazing job with the art. I gave her a shit-ton of stuff to cram into those panels and she rocked it!<br /><br />This final page really spells out what was going on with Aerden (the master) this whole time. My basic take for this whole story was that "May We Die In The Forest" wasn't just a motto, it was a god-damned commandment. This is the lesson that boys must learn -- not just that sometimes you go into the forest and don't come out, but that sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Obviously this is a pretty fucked up way of living and I imagined that this very thought had been weighing on Aerden's mind for some time. When he saw the boys fighting as bravely and valiently as they did in <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/7/6/">page 4</a> (at at time when many <span style="font-weight: bold;">men</span> would have just thrown in the towel) he decided that it was time for a change and jumped into the fight.<br /><br />It was this act that made the elders angry and has apparently set in motion what will be a problematic time for the entire Lookouts community. Aerden's act is what Philip K. Dick calls "a quiet refusal" in his speech "<a href="http://deoxy.org/pkd_how2build.htm">How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later</a>." There's one paragraph in particular from this speech that really blew me away:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">The authentic human being is one of us who instinctively knows what he should not do, and, in addition, he will balk at doing it. He will refuse to do it, even if this brings down dread consequences to him and to those whom he loves. This, to me, is the ultimately heroic trait of ordinary people; they say no to the tyrant and they calmly take the consequences of this resistance. Their deeds may be small, and almost always unnoticed, unmarked by history. Their names are not remembered, nor did these authentic humans expect their names to be remembered. I see their authenticity in an odd way: not in their willingness to perform great heroic deeds but in their quiet refusals. In essence, they cannot be compelled to be what they are not.</span></blockquote>For me, that seemed to really sum up the Lookouts universe. It's a universe in which childhood is extremely fleeting and a result looses the authenticity that comes with it. There's something about the innocence of a child that says, "yeah, I can kick a basilisk's ass". When Aerden saw that, it brought out in him another childish/innocent/authentic sentiment -- "even if it's for the 'greater good', leading boys out into a forest to be devoured by monsters is just plain wrong."<br /><br />So in a way, this story wasn't so much about the coming of age for these boys, but the return to childhood for Aerden. At one point his final line was something horribly cheesy like "Then let us prepare for war!" but I dropped it instead for the "I have seen far more bravery from boys of late." Basically Aerden believes, like the Lookouts, "yeah, I can kick a basilisk's ass." In fact he believes he can kick the whole forest's ass if others join in his way of thinking.<br /><br />So there you have it, that's my view into the universe of Lookouts. Hopefully it won't fall apart in two days time. Thanks for reading.Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-24182351423343190532009-07-03T02:03:00.000-07:002009-07-03T11:56:17.856-07:00Lookouts - Page 3The <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/7/3/">third page of Lookouts</a> is now online. I hope you're enjoying it so far and before I go any further I have to give a huge kudos to <a href="http://www.tinykittenteeth.com/">Becky Dreistadt</a> who has done amazing job in a very short amount of time. I finished the script to Lookouts on Monday which gave Becky about 48 hours to turn around the first page. This is rather staggering to me. To give you some perspective, with the Heroes graphic novels we typically allow 3-4 weeks for a 5-6 page comic (which averages out to 3-4 days per page at the worst). To put it simply, she's amazing.<br /><br />Gabe <a href="http://twitter.com/cwgabriel/status/2426758749">posted on twitter</a> that this is the first time Penny Arcade has done a guest week in ten years, which for me to be a part of is an incredible honor. As well as a staggering amount of pressure. First and foremost I'm a Penny Arcade fan, have been for a long time now. I have a laser cel CTS hanging in my office and a signed printout of my <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/5/6/">two favorite strips</a> hanging up at home.<br /><br />So with all that in mind, taking on this project was a pretty daunting task. Gabe &amp; Tycho did a <a href="http://download.penny-arcade.com/podcast/Lookouts.mp3">podcast<span style="font-size:78%;">(mp3)</span></a> about their original Lookouts strip which I'd already listened to once, but listened to again (several times) to let it really sink in. It proved an invaluable resource for keeping with Gabe &amp; Tycho's vision and you'll see a few ideas that were pulled directly out of that podcast. Namely, the concept that boys are trying to get their "basilisk badge" and secondly, the vision of the basilisk as "more chicken than lizard".<br /><br />The other thing that Tycho had linked in his original post about Lookouts, was a speech by Philip K. Dick, one of my favorite authors, called "<a href="http://deoxy.org/pkd_how2build.htm">How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later</a>." I'd begun reading it for my own edification before I got the Lookouts gig and it ended up having a profound influence on how I shaped the remaining story for Lookouts (I'll explain how in more detail once it's done). If you're a writer or storyteller of any medium, I strongly recommend reading this. It's long, but well worth the read.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PAGE THREE</span><br /><br />I think this is going to be my favorite page. There's only one line of dialog, true, but it sets up the central mystery in the story of what exactly their master is playing at. But mostly the basilisk just gets to kick some ass, and what's more fun than that? In my head I've been calling this "The Basilisk Strikes Back". It's your typical betrayal/all-is-lost/everyone-gets-their-ass-handed-to-them moment. That's always my favorite part in a movie (or trilogy), hopefully you enjoy it!<br /><br />That's it for now, don't forget to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">follow me on twitter</a> for Heroes news, Lookouts tidbits, and to hear me lament about having pneumonia :/Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-962633823831341962009-06-29T01:26:00.001-07:002009-06-29T01:56:48.865-07:00LookoutsSo I've been keeping this under my hat for an eternity (one week) but I can now <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/2009/06/29/guildfather/">officially announce</a> that I'm writing "<a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/6/10/">Lookouts</a>" for <a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/">Penny Arcade</a>! This is essentially a dream project for me, and I'm still somewhat in shock from the fact that I'm getting to work with two people I basically consider my heroes.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/6/10/">Page 1</a> was done as a pitch (aka pilot) by Gabe &amp; Tycho two weeks back and I've picked up the story from there. I'm told that page 2 will go online Wednesday. The art is being done by the incredibly talented <a href="http://www.tinykittenteeth.com/">Becky Dreistadt</a> who gets double props from me for being a New Zealander. Go commonwealth! Having seen some of Becky's concept art for this project, I can assure you it's going to look awesome!<br /><br />I'm not sure exactly how Lookouts will be distributed, but I've written four pages to complete this first story and I'm <span style="font-style: italic;">assuming</span> they'll appear on the Penny Arcade site per the usual Mon-Wed-Fri schedule (starting Wednesday 7/1). As for anything after that, we'll just have to see how the response is. Hope you enjoy!Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-12807482726035965492009-06-11T22:11:00.000-07:002009-06-12T14:00:25.028-07:00Bachelor PartySo forgive me for not blogging in a while. Fortunately I have a lot of great reasons, and if you've been <a href="http://www.twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">following me on twitter</a>, you may have seen the photo evidence. If not, here's more:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3vtrNx3rcDM/SjHkeqFiT9I/AAAAAAAAAWU/ke192v54H9Q/s1600-h/KingsRiver.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3vtrNx3rcDM/SjHkeqFiT9I/AAAAAAAAAWU/ke192v54H9Q/s400/KingsRiver.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346305448010207186" border="0" /></a><br />That's me front-left making a weird face. And that's my buddy John on the right succumbing to the will of the river. It's not a good bachelor party unless you come back with one less guy right? So yes, last weekend that awesome group of guys in the raft showed me a hell of a time, thus no time for any personal writing.<br /><br />The other reason I haven't been posting is that I was busy working on my first graphic novel blog post for NBC &amp; 9th Wonders which is <a href="http://www.9thwonders.com/oliver_grigsby/">now available to read</a>! Unfortunately the comments don't seem to be working but NBC is (I hope) trying to get that fixed. <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(Comments almost fixed...)</span> In it, I discuss how we came up with the idea for the <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Rebellion">Rebellion arc</a> of graphic novels and the decisions behind who would be on Rebel's team.<br /><br />Other than that Heroes continues to usurp my life. I write outlines for every episode which takes a monumental amount of time. We've been breaking story all week and heading into the weekend/early next week I'm going to be writing outlines for episodes five and six. As <a href="http://jasonbadower.blogspot.com/">Jason Badower</a> often reminds me, "eh, we'll sleep when we're dead right?"<br /><br />Oh, one last thing. Once I reach 1500 followers on Twitter (about 150 to go!) I'm going to be running a little contest to give away a Heroes comic book. The only way to find out how to win is if you're <a href="http://www.twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">following me</a>. So what are you waiting for? <a href="http://twitter.com/signup">Join the twitterverse</a>!Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-18206054252698868632009-05-26T13:44:00.000-07:002009-05-26T14:40:23.757-07:00Bunch o' linksShort post today as I've been busy answering all the questions about the <a href="http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/novels">Heroes graphic novel</a> arc "Rebellion". Head over to <a href="http://boards.9thwonders.com/index.php?showtopic=68865">9th Wonders</a> to see the questions and their answers. There's still time to ask a question if there's anything you're curious about.<br /><br />And if you're still hungry for more Rebellion behind the scenes, you should check out <a href="http://jasonbadower.blogspot.com/">Jason Badower's blog</a>. He's the artist for the latest graphic novel, "Family" and next week's, "Left Behind". He's been going through talking about each page in detail. Definitely worth the read.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thebinarymill.com/images/iphone_roboriot.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 141px; height: 302px;" src="http://www.thebinarymill.com/images/iphone_roboriot.png" alt="" border="0" /></a>I also want to take a moment to give a shout out to a friend of mine who got his first game turned into an iPhone app. It's called "<a href="http://www.thebinarymill.com/iphone_roboriot.php">A Robo Riot!</a>" and IMHO a steal at only 99 cents<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>. I really enjoy it, but you don't have to take my word for it, you can give it a try for free over at <a href="http://www.kongregate.com/games/urbansquall/robo-riot">Kongregate</a>. If it seems like something you'd like to carry with you on your iPhone or iPod, please pick it up.Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-48540322282606003752009-05-19T13:22:00.000-07:002009-05-20T11:22:38.849-07:00Heroes Graphic Novels Summer ScheduleJust a quick post to update everyone on the schedule for the <a href="http://www.nbc.com/heroes/novels">Graphic Novels</a>. We needed to space things out a little bit so unfortunately there will be no comic next Monday 5/25. But I want to keep everyone informed, so here's what the schedule currently looks like:<br /><ul><li>6/1 - Rebellion Part 4: Left Behind</li><li>6/15 - Rebellion Part 5: Wanted<br /></li><li>Mid July - Rebellion Part 6</li><li>Mid August - Rebellion Part 7</li></ul>September returns us to our regular weekly schedule. I know, I'm as bummed as you are that we can't do more, but that's just the way it goes sometimes. How about this: What if someone over at <a href="http://boards.9thwonders.com/">9th Wonders</a> starts a thread for everyone to post questions about the current Rebellion arc. And on Monday/Tuesday I'll do my best to answer them all. It's no new comic, but hopefully something to look forward to at least. As always, keep in mind that I can't comment on speculation/theories/spoilers and please try and keep your questions limited to Rebellion.<br /><br />See you next week over on 9th Wonders?Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-68932945070145370322009-05-18T14:40:00.000-07:002009-05-18T16:51:55.619-07:00This Week at HeroesStill no 9<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> Wonders Blog for me yet so I can't talk too much about the <a href="http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/Novels">Heroes Graphic Novels</a>. But you should forgive the tech team for the delay because they're hard at work putting together something that I think is going to be fun and awesome and help occupy the cold Heroes Summer months. I'd tell you more but I've already said too much...<br /><br />It's been another busy week at Heroes (when is it not?). The writers have put together a super-rough draft of the first episode and we're going to have episode two later this evening. At the moment, these are just "internal" drafts which means no one beyond the writers have seen them. Production is gearing up though, doing 100 different things, but primarily building new sets and revamping some old ones. As you might expect they can't wait to get their hands on that first script.<br /><br />Some time tonight/tomorrow "Family", part 3 of "Rebellion" will appear <a href="http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/Novels">online</a>. You've read <a href="http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/novels/index.shtml?novel=136">part 1</a> and <a href="http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/novels/index.shtml?novel=137">part 2</a> right? Parts 3 and 4 were written by me and drawn by <a href="http://jasonbadower.blogspot.com">Jason <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Badower</span></a>. I can't tell you how much fun it is to work with Jason. Besides becoming good friends, and so naturally having a good time, Jason is an absolute workhorse. He cares more about his art and about telling a good and complete story than anyone I've met. Some artists draw spectacular art but only think about one panel at a time -- the pages may look great, but sometimes the story just doesn't quite track. Not so with Jason. His attention to the details of the story are unparalleled. There are two panels in particular that really demonstrate what I'm talking about -- I'll go into more detail once it's online. In short, I have a man-crush on Jason, you get the picture.<br /><br />The last fun bit of news is that I'm fairly certain this comic is going to be printed and end up being handed out at the <a href="http://www.comic-con.org/cci/">San Diego Comic Con</a> in July. I'm not certain what type of presence Heroes will have there this year, but tickets are still available for Thursday and Sunday if you want to go. I also have no idea how the comics will be distributed. If you can't make it and want some swag, my advice is to befriend someone who is going and see if they can't snag an extra one. Barring epic disaster I'll be there on Saturday and I'm sure Jason will be around also.<br /><br />I'll likely post later this week with my rant, I mean follow-up, on spoilers and how audience knowledge alters the viewing experience.Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-25504076159246445292009-05-12T15:00:00.000-07:002009-05-12T15:31:34.752-07:00You Might be a Red Shirt if...<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heroes</span><br /><br />NBC is still getting things sorted on the blog front, so I'll start off with some quick <a href="http://www.nbc.com/heroes/novels">Heroes Graphic Novel</a> news. By now you've hopefully read the first two parts of <a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Rebellion">Rebellion</a> written by <a href="http://twitter.com/zachfelldown">Zach Craley</a> and drawn by <a href="http://www.denniscalero.com/">Dennis Calero</a>. We'll continue with this arc through the summer, finding out what Rebel was up to and hitting some moments from "Fugitives" along the way.<br /><br />One bit of bad news that I have to drop is that we're only going to be doing one comic each month in June, July and August. The good news is that they'll be a bit larger, 8 pages each, and will allow us to dig in more and tell deeper stories in each of those chapters.<br /><br />But don't fret, we'll return to regular weekly issues in September and tell a new story which will lead into the premier of Volume 5. And not that it's any huge consolation, but I'll continue to blog each week and talk about some of the graphic novels we've done in the past. Maybe it'll give you a reason to go back and revisit some of those.<br /><br />I've been busy recently working on parts 3 and 4 of Rebellion and have been fortunate enough to team up with <a href="http://jasonbadower.blogspot.com/">Jason Badower</a> once again. We've had a lot of fun working on this together and I honestly think Jason has turned in some of his best work yet. I can't wait for it to go online next week!<br /><br />As for the shows itself, the writers have spent the last several weeks breaking story, and we are now busy writing the first couple of episodes. The current plan is to start pre-production two weeks from now and begin filming in early June -- holy moly, that arrived fast!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">You Might be a "Red Shirt" if...</span><br /><br />If you follow me on Twitter you may have caught my tweets labeled "Writers Room Lingo" (Thanks to <a href="http://twitter.com/cadetevon">@cadetevon</a>'s suggestion I've now started tagging them with <a href="http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23WRL">#WRL</a>). For those not in the know, WRL is simply a definition of a somewhat unusual term or phrase that might pop up in the <a href="http://twitter.com/olivergrigsby/statuses/1606740483">writers room</a> while <a href="http://twitter.com/olivergrigsby/statuses/1591496204">breaking story</a>. Some of these terms are specific to our group of writers, others can apply to any film set and many are familiar to just about any TV audience. If you've visited <a href="http://www.tvtropes.org/">tvtropes.org</a> you know what I'm talking about, it's a fun site.<br /><br />Perhaps one of my favorite terms is "red shirt". It was originated during the original Star Trek Series in which the security officers wore red shirts. Whenever several of the main actors went on a dangerous mission a security officer would naturally tag along and inevitably meet an untimely demise. It is perhaps best summed up by this image sent to me by another one of my fantastic followers <a href="http://twitter.com/rand21althor">@rand21althor</a>:<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3vtrNx3rcDM/Sgn15mMuf1I/AAAAAAAAAV0/FKAT0bkb-W0/s1600-h/insp_expendability.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3vtrNx3rcDM/Sgn15mMuf1I/AAAAAAAAAV0/FKAT0bkb-W0/s400/insp_expendability.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335065603452338002" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Using a "red shirt" is a difficult technique in a scripted series. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't because when your main characters go on a mission you want to dramatize that it's a dangerous mission. The problem is that you can't kill your main characters. Or at least, the Network won't let you. So, you stick a red shirt with them that can be injured/maimed/killed to prove how dangerous the mission is. However, an educated audience is going to spot it a mile away. On Star Trek they literally wore red shirts but there are other ways to spot a red shirt.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">You might be a red shirt if...</span><br /></span><ul><li><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >You are carrying equipment essential to the mission.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >You do something nice/selfless.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >You did something bad and deserve comeuppance.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >You say something along the lines of "We've got nothing to worry about" or "I'm glad that's over".</span></li></ul><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >There are countless other ways to spot a red shirt and while the truly great ones are the ones you don't even notice, most serve more than one purpose. For example, the red shirt that dies with mission-essential equipment implicitly makes the mission harder for the remaining characters. Your heroes have to be that much more heroic to overcome the seemingly insurmountable odds. This is also an example of "<a href="http://twitter.com/olivergrigsby/statuses/1777220551">raising the stakes</a>".<br /><br />The nice guy/selfless act is a ploy to get an emotional response from the audience. If you find yourself thinking "I like that guy, I sure hope he doesn't die..." watch out! Likewise with the person who deserves "comeuppance" -- you'll find yourself thinking "I hope that rotten bastard gets his!" and when he does, you'll feel satisfied.<br /><br />The character that dies right after breathing a sigh of relief is more of a horror movie technique and it's mostly a way of telling the audience "this ride 'ain't over yet, hold on tight!" It helps keep the suspense going and makes the audience feel similarly anxious to the character being chased by the axe murderer; like you can't stop and take a breath.<br /><br />So why am I telling you all of this? Well, while I do hope you're interested, I really just want you to suffer like I do. As my fiancee can attest, watching television with me (especially a certain episode of BSG -- sorry sweetie!) isn't always fun. You see, although I do get a certain satisfaction from spotting a red shirt, part of me is disappointed that I won't be surprised later on when that character dies. It's the "curse" of working in the industry. Knowing the trade secrets oftentimes ruins the viewing experience.<br /><br />Audience knowledge is an interesting topic and one that I think is very relevant to the Heroes universe. Should writers take into consideration what the audience might already know in terms of behind-the-scenes knowledge, not to mention spoilers? Provided I don't get sidetracked by a different topic, I'll talk more about the "curse" next week, or as I like to call it: "I'm hiding behind that rock with a walkie-talkie".<br /><br />That's all for now, please post comments/questions, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">follow me on twitter</a>, and whatever you do, don't carry the mission-essential explosives while wearing a red space suit!<br /></span>Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136968009052502592.post-13660794858390191362009-05-04T15:49:00.000-07:002009-05-04T16:45:40.465-07:00The Obligatory First Post<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Hi, for those who don't know me, my name is Oliver Grigsby. I'm a writer for the NBC television show <a href="http://www.nbc.com/Heroes">Heroes</a> and a writer/editor for the <a href="http://www.nbc.com/heroes/novels">Heroes graphic novels</a>. I'm also a dog owner, a geek and a soon-to-be husband. I decided to start a blog after spending the last two months on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">Twitter</a> and having an absolute ball. It wasn't until then that it occurred to me that people might be vaguely interested in what I had to say.<br /><br />The snag was that NBC is also interested in what I have to say. So at their request, we're going to setup a space on <a href="http://9thwonders.com/">9thWonders.com</a> for me to officially talk about the Heroes graphic novels. Schedule allowing, I'll post there every week after the comic goes online and go into more detail about the creation process behind bringing these to life.<br /><br />They're still working on some technical details but I'm told that things will be ready next Monday. If you subscribe to my blog here or <a href="http://www.twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">follow me on twitter</a> I'll be sure and let you know when it's ready.<br /><br />So, what is this blog going to be about?<br /></span><ol style="font-family:verdana;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">It's still going to be about Heroes. That's what I do for about 70 hours a week -- yeah, that's 40% of my life -- so there'll be plenty of Heroes stuff to talk about. Other topics that may or may not get covered...<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">My wedding: I'm getting married in less than 4 months to the love of my life. (See #4 for more).<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Our dog: In grade school most kids write about their dogs. I never got that chance, so I'll be making up for lost time and subjecting all of you to it. Right now our dog has an itchy butt.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Teaching my fiancee (lets go ahead and start calling her "Abby") to play video games: I think this may be one of the crowning achievements of my life. As of about two years ago Abby had never even played video games. Today she head-caps zombies in Left 4 Dead like she was born to do it. Did I mention we're getting married? Do I need any further explanation as to why? I didn't think so...</span></li></ol><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >So, welcome! Let's start with some Heroes news -- In case you haven't heard, the summer arc of graphic novels is underway! The first chapter of "Rebellion" will appear online sometime tonight/early Tuesday morning. It's written by Zach Craley with art by Dennis Calero (X-Factor, X-men: Noir). Dennis is in high demand in the Marvel Universe these days so we're very lucky to have him working on this for us and let me tell you, the stuff looks amazing!<br /><br />A quick FYI, this chapter takes place in the Heroes timeline at the same time as episode 314 (<a href="http://heroeswiki.com/Episode:A_Clear_and_Present_Danger">A Clear and Present Danger</a>) when everyone was rounded up. Rebellion will continue through the summer and explore what Rebel was up to during the Fugitives arc. I'll talk about this specific chapter and more of our summer plans on 9thWonders once everything is setup over there.<br /><br />We're also hard at work in the writers room breaking story for Season 4 of Heroes. NBC gave us an official pickup today which is good considering we've been working for several weeks already. Things are going well, and we've been making a lot of progress.<br /><br />Please post comments, I'll do my best to reply and if you want even more behind-the-scenes Heroes news be sure to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/OliverGrigsby">follow me on Twitter</a>!</span>Oliver Grigsbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01318791871791277633noreply@blogger.com16